Chilli coconut prawns with rice

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

500g fresh raw tiger prawns shelled with tails intact
2 cups long grain rice
3 spring onions diced finely
olive oil for cooking
2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
4 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 clove of garlic crushed finely
2 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon of ginger paste
250mls coconut milk with 1/2 cup of water
1 teaspoon of sambal olek (only if you like extra heat, alter to your liking)
handful of snow peas or you can use beans chopped (as i used beans)
2 Mangoes sliced into long pieces

In a large bowl prepare the marinade - Sweet chilli, light soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice.  Place the prawns into the marinade and leave for 20 minutes mixing occasionally.

Boil the rice in a separate pot for ten minutes and drain.

In a large stove top pot or casserole / tagine place some olive oil and the spring onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then place the prawns in and marinade a little more oil.  Then you can place the coconut milk, sambal olek, snow peas or beans and mango and cook for around 10 minutes until prawns cooked and taste to check the heat is how you like.

Easy Paella

Preparation Time: ;10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6

olive oil for cooking
2 cups of fresh chicken stock  (a little extra may be required)
1 1/2 cups of white rice (i use long grain)
1 small red onion diced
1/2 small red capsicum chopped
3 pieces of bacon diced
1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads
1 garlic clove chopped finely
1/4 cup of chopped tomato
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup of peas
salt and pepper
1 chorizo thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley finely chopped
24 fresh raw tiger prawns (shelled and deveined)
1 chicken breast cut into cubes
100g white fish (i use rockling) diced
100g fresh calamari cut into fine rings

In a large bowl place the rice and the chicken stock with the saffron threads and stir a little then let it sit for ten minutes so the saffron starts to infuse into the rice.

Heat a little olive oil in a large fry pan or electric wok.  Add the diced chicken and cook for around 5 minutes or until cooked.  Place chicken aside in a covered bowl. Then cook the fish, calamari and prawns in a fry pan with a little oil for around 5 minutes until cooked and set aside in another bowl.

In your pan/wok add the bacon, capsicum, onion, cayenne, tomato, garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.  Then add the chorizo, peas, parsley and a little shake of salt and pepper.  Add the rice and saffron stock mixture and mix well.

Bring to the boil slowly and then reduce the heat to low simmering for around 10 minutes.  Add more stock if you need to so it cooks the rice.  Add the chicken, prawns, calamari and fish to the top of the rice and push down gently . Cook for another 3 - 5 minutes until the rice is tender.

Serve in bowls with extra parsley on top.

The freshest seafood make the best paella.  If you like mussels you can cook some in a little white wine and onion first and wait until they open. Discard any unopened ones.  Set aside the cooked mussel in the liquid and add to your rice at the part where you add the seafood.

Zucchini rice and vegetable boats

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Makes 4 boats

2 large zucchini
30g onion diced
handful of broccoli florets chopped
50 g pumpkin diced
50g carrot diced
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 cup of Chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Provolone Dolche cheese grated fine for sprinkling
Sunflower seeds (if you like)


Turn on oven fan forced on 170 degrees celcius.  Place a baking dish in oven


Slice the zucchinis in half and scoop out the flesh in the centre (discard as it tends to make the rice bitter). Set the zucchinis on some foil which can be transferred to oven when ready to bake.

Place the diced carrot, broccoli florets, onion, garlic and pumpkin in a small pan with olive oil.  Cook gently for around 10 minutes til soft and set aside.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place chicken stock in saucepan and cook the rice in it for ten minutes.  Drain in small and set aside in bowl with lid covering.

After drained place the rice into the vegetable mix and blend in with wooden spoon.

Place some pepper on the boats and then place mix into boats using a teaspoon and add grated cheese over the top of each.

Salt and pepper the top and bake in oven on foil for around 15 minutes or until browned.

Top with some sunflower seeds if you like them.

Serve with crusty bread

Arancini with Fontina

Serves: Makes 20 balls


Preparation Time: 15 minutes (or prepare the rice a day ahead and refrigerate first step)
Cooking time: 5-8 minutes 

1 cup of white wine (i use  sweet white for mine)
1/4 of an onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves chopped
1 large pinch of saffron threads
50g parmesan cheese finely grated
1 garlic clove crushed 
100g butter
3 cups of chicken stock
1 cup aborio rice or equivalent type


100g fontina diced into cube sizes to fit balls
1 cup breadcrumbs
olive oil for frying








Place the saffron into the white wine in a jug to soak.  Melt butter in fry pan and add onion, garlic and soften but do not brown.  Heat stock in another saucepan until simmering.

Place thyme and rice to the onion mix and cook for one minute to blend with the rice.  Add wine and saffron and stir until wine is absorbed completely.  This will take a little while to happen and heat will need to be slightly up while this is happening. Once the wine is leveled down and the rice absorbs you need to ladle some stock into rice so it keeps moist and this is to be repeated in this manner until the rice is ready (approx 15 minutes if aborio).  Rice should appear creamy when done. Add more stock or water if rice is not ready and cook until done.  Make sure all liquid at the end is all absorbed.  Remove from heat and stir through the parmesan cheese.  Spread this mix onto a tray which is covered in plastic wrap. Remove the garlic and dispose. Leave to cool and then place into the fridge to cool down.  You can even prepare this part if you like a day before.

To prepare the arancini roll a walnut sized amount  of rice into ball.  Press a hole into the middle with your thumb and add a piece of the fontina squares to fit.  Repeat this method until all done.  Roll the balls at the end into some breadcrumbs pressing to coat well.

Heat oil in a small saucepan and fill with olive oil to cover the top of each ball.  Heat a couple at a time so not to overcrowd.  Test the oil with a small piece first and it should sizzle into the oil and turn golden brown.  Cook each ball quickly approx 3-4 minutes until brown and dry on paper towels.  Serve hot or room temperature.

Chilli Prawns with sesame seeds and rice towers

Chilli Prawns with sesame seeds and rice towers

Serves 4 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes with rice  and 20 mins marinade time

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Long grain white rice  - per serve 1/2 small cup of rice (50 - 60grams) makes one tower

a small plastic cup for rice tower (i used heinz baby basics cup without lid)

400g green prawns (100g per person average)

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of corn flour

1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil

1 teaspoon of garlic

1 red chilli (seeded) and chopped - you can use half if you dont like it too hot!

Handful of sesame seeds

1 Spring onion chopped finely (green part)

Cook your rice in boiling water for 10 minutes and drain with cold water.  Press rice into plastic cup firmly and then into fridge/chiller while preparing the prawns.

Place the prawns into a clean large bowl with the soy sauce, salt and pepper and corn flour and marinade for approx 20 minutes.

Prepare a frypan with some butter/oil.  Add the prawns and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and chilli. Cook for another 2 minutes until blended.

Place rice tower on plate and then place prawns hot onto plate next to it and garnish prawns with sesame seeds and spring onion. Garnish the rice tower with fresh coriander leaves.

so delightful darlings....



Fried Rice

Fried Rice

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves : 4 to 5 generous

2 Cups long grain rice

2 pieces bacon diced

1 piece chicken diced

12 green prawns

1/4 cup peas

2 eggs  (optional)

4 spring onions light part chopped (discard the darker ends)

Olive oil for pan

Soy sauce  (optional)

Prepare the rice in a pot of boiling water.  Set timer for 10 minutes.

Place your chicken into a pan with a light drizzle of olive oil.  Cook the chicken on both sides but try not to burn or brown it too much, the chicken should be light in colour but properly cooked.  Set aside into a bowl. 

Prepare in another pan the bacon with olive oil and cook until brown on both sides then turn off heat and then set aside in a bowl.

Then cook the eggs in the same pan you cooked the bacon in.  Cook it and mix it as it cooks into scramble mixture.  Place aside in bowl.

Once the rice is cooked after 10 minutes drain through strainer and place into a large wok. Cover while preparing rest of ingredients.

Cook the prawns in a pan with olive oil until cooked. Set aside.

 Now add the chicken, bacon, prawns and egg to the rice in the wok and gently mix through.

Then you can add your spring onion, peas.

 

Add soy sauce to your individual bowls if preferred.

You can also add bean shoots if you like but it tends to make the dish a little more bitter.

Enjoy!